


A New Beginning

by LittleMissLuna



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Does Jumin Han Is Gay?, M/M, Post 707 Good End, Pre-Relationship, Slight AU Where V Survives Being Shot, jumin han does is gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27123901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissLuna/pseuds/LittleMissLuna
Summary: “I do plan to hear you out soon,” Jumin says quietly. “I can learn to forgive your past transgressions. But I would never have forgiven you for dying first and leaving me behind.”-----------V survives being shot, but Jumin keeps it a secret for a while. Implied Jumin x V. Post-707 Good Ending and Secret Endings.
Relationships: Han Jumin/V | Kim Jihyun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Written for "Reminisce: A Jumin/V Zine"

Nearly seven months after the standoff at Mint Eye headquarters that left the entirety of the RFA reeling, Jumin Han receives a phone call in the middle of the night.

  
It isn’t the first. Being the CEO of one of Korea’s largest corporations, one receives a lot of unwanted calls at odd hours. Jumin, a light sleeper, usually glances at the number flashing on the screen before promptly sending the call to voicemail and returning to slumber.  
But this time is different. This time he snaps awake after glancing at his phone screen, startling the snow white cat curled around his legs as he sits up. He answers the call with no preface, muttering only three words into the receiver:  
“Is he awake?”  
After obtaining an answer, Jumin hangs up, immediately texting Driver Kim to retrieve him from his penthouse. He’s ready in a flash, pulling on the impeccably-pressed suit he’d hung up in his closet in preparation for the workday. He shoots a text to Assistant Kang, telling her he’ll be late to the office that morning.  
During the car ride to the hospital, in the waiting room, in the hallway outside room 411, Jumin tries to stay calm. In reality, he’s anything but. As his hand hovers over the doorknob, he realizes he has no idea what to expect in the room beyond. Would his friend be the same as he remembers? Would he be upset? Scared? Would he even remember Jumin at all?  
Jumin takes a slow, deep breath and opens the door.  
The teal-haired man is awake, as the nurse said, but he doesn’t look up when Jumin enters. Instead, he is engrossed in a pile of documents, pulled from a folder strewn across the bedside table.  
“Ah, Jumin,” says V as Jumin enters. “Come in. I was just doing some very interesting reading.”  
Jumin scowls. The hospital staff weren’t supposed to deliver the file until after he’d arrived. Making a mental note to ask his father to terminate V’s attending physician, Jumin sits in a chair across from V’s bed.  
“Jihyun Kim,” reads V. “Pronounced deceased from a single gunshot wound to the chest at 3:34 p.m. on June 5, 20XX.”  
Through his hospital gown, V runs his fingers over the skin just above his heart, feeling the scarred knot where the bullet entered his body.  
“I remember being shot,” he says plainly. “But my memories are blank after that. I take it you’re here to fill me in?”  
Jumin nods. “There isn’t much to tell. I had you brought to my father’s hospital in critical condition. They were able to save your life but you’ve been in a coma ever since.”  
“That explains why I’m so groggy,” jokes V. “Though it feels like it’s only been a few hours.”  
Jumin doesn’t laugh. Instead, he studies V’s figure. The man across from him bears almost no resemblance to the tall, sturdy boy Jumin grew up with. Jumin’s eyes trace over his limbs, frail from disuse, his hollow cheeks and pale face, teal hair now laying limp and ragged just beyond his shoulders.  
“How do you feel?” Jumin asks, finally.  
V returns his hand to his bullet wound. “It doesn’t hurt, if that’s what you’re asking. It never did, actually. I think I was in too much shock.”  
“Of course you were,” agrees Jumin. “One centimeter lower and the bullet would have gone straight through your heart. It took four surgeries to remove everything.”  
“Then I suppose I should be grateful to C&R’s wonderful hospital staff.”  
“Naturally. My father only hires the best.”  
V nods, glancing subtly at the documents in his lap. He opens his mouth, considers for a moment, then closes it again.  
“You’re wondering why I’ve kept your survival a secret,” says Jumin.  
“Yes.”  
“You recall the events leading up to your injury?”  
“I do.”  
“After the incident, the RFA was...disturbed, to say the least. The revelation that Rika was alive and had manipulated Saeyoung’s brother, compounded with the fact that you had hidden that information,” says Jumin. “It left a lot of raw emotion with no outlet. I did not want that outlet to be you.”  
“So you faked my death,” says V with a fatigued smile. “The irony is not lost on me.”  
Jumin is slightly annoyed at the premise. “Don’t misinterpret things. This isn’t anything like what you did with Rika. I hid you from the world to protect you and give you time to heal, not because I thought I could solve everyone’s problems on my own.”  
“You’re still angry,” V says.  
“Of course I’m still angry,” Jumin snarls, standing abruptly from his chair. “I waited seven months to stop worrying about you so I could be angry again. You’re an idiot and a liar and I’ll never understand why you didn’t trust me or the rest of the RFA enough to help you.”  
V looks as if he’s about to say something but reconsiders. “You’re right,” he says after a moment. “I was a fool. But I’m ready to tell you everything-”  
“No,” Jumin interrupts. “I don’t think I’m ready to listen just yet.”  
Perhaps a bit pointedly, Jumin walks to the door. V seems disappointed but understanding.  
“You’re leaving?” he asks.  
Jumin nods and turns away. “I do plan to hear you out soon,” he says quietly. “I can learn to forgive your past transgressions. But I would never have forgiven you for dying first and leaving me behind.”  
Without looking back, he exits the room.  
Once in the hallway, he walks an appropriate distance away from V’s room before giving in to the weakness in his legs. Jumin leans his back against the hallway wall and slides down into a kneeling position, holding his head in his hands.  
His heart rattles in his chest as he takes several shuddering breaths, releasing multiple waves of withheld emotions all at once, anger and fear and relief all swirling inside him like a hurricane.  
_He’s okay,_ thinks Jumin, using the mantra to drown out all other thoughts. _He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s okay._

-  
-

The next few weeks are painful for Jumin to watch. He can’t imagine how hard they must be for his friend.  
Seven months of inactivity had not been kind on V’s body, and it’s all he can do to stand up, much less walk. V’s days are filled with repetitive physical therapy as he attempts to reverse his atrophied muscles. Jumin visits nearly every day, mostly for emotional support, occasionally as a literal shoulder to lean on when V is feeling less proud than normal.  
Little by little, V tells Jumin about life after Rika left. In exchange, Jumin provides information about the RFA. Assistant Kang is her usual self, reluctantly handling all of Jumin’s work as he visits V in the hospital. Zen is as popular as ever, his determination to become a well-known actor renewed in the name of the man who saved his life. Yoosung had experienced a bout of depression after V’s death but had done his best to continue school, now on a path to graduation with honors. The twins were immediately entered into the witness protection program. MC and Saeyoung had gotten married only a few months previously and dote on Saeran like a child.  
V doesn’t ask about Rika for a long time, but when he does, Jumin finds himself conflicted. He could so easily lie to his friend, tell him that his fiance had escaped and never resurfaced. He could keep this world he’d created just for the two of them for just a little longer.  
But V would never do that to him, and considering such dishonesty sickens him. After all, his jealousy toward Rika is nothing new. It was always there, throughout V’s entire relationship with her, an ever-burning scar deep in his chest. He knew the pain so well it was nearly comforting.  
So Jumin tells V the truth; that Rika is recovering in Alaska, in the best mental health facility his money could buy.  
“Is she...doing well there?” V asks one day as he performs his perfunctory leg exercises.  
“I think so,” replies Jumin. “I have her doctors send me bi-weekly performance reviews. All feedback has been positive so far.”  
“Good,” sighs V. “I’m happy to hear that.”  
“You don’t sound happy,” notes Jumin. “I hope you’re not thinking that any of this is your fault.”  
V smiles sadly. “I can’t seem to fool you, old friend.”  
“Rika is sick, V. You know that. You even got her to go to counseling.”  
“I know. But I can’t help feeling like I handled her too gently. Could I have prevented it all if I had hardened my heart and pushed her away?”  
Jumin frowns. “Kindness is not a weakness.”  
“I wonder,” chuckles V, sadly, “if that’s really true.”  
_Bang!_  
Without thinking, Jumin slams his fist down on V’s side table, spilling a half-full glass of water across the floor.  
“Jumin,” begins V, startled, but Jumin cuts across him.  
“I’ve always hated that self-sacrificing part of you,” he spits, shooting V a venomous glance.  
By the time the nurse arrives in response to the noise, Jumin has long gone, leaving only a stunned V in his wake.

  


-  
-  
Assistant Kang is the first Jumin allows to visit. Her usually reserved expression melts into a warm smile upon seeing her old friend, confessing her belief that Jumin had been making a rare and tasteless joke when he’d told her V was alive and well.  
Zen’s response is delight, both in his rescuer’s vitality and in the continued success of his psychic dreams, which he claimed to have predicted this outcome — although he hadn’t believed it at the time.  
When Yoosung approaches V in his hospital bed, his expression is an amalgamation of hurt, fear, sadness and hope. Jumin is certain that V is about to get slapped when Yoosung raises his arms, but his concerns are calmed when the blond collapses into V’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably and apologizing profusely for doubting him.  
Despite their first official meeting ending in violence, V’s re-introduction to MC is prompt and polite. Without her husband by her side, Jumin wasn’t sure how the interaction would go, but MC navigates the conversation as dignifiedly as could be expected of the RFA’s fearless new leader.  
Saeyoung and Saeran come together, matching once more after Saeran dyed his hair back to its original red. After a few tense moments of silence, Saeyoung pushes his brother to V’s side, where he delivers a tearful apology. V forgives him at once, just as Jumin knew he would, and the three share a familial embrace and make plans to see each other after V’s full recovery.  
“Everyone seems to be doing well,” says V once his room is empty, save for Jumin. “It’s an odd feeling. I’m happy that they’re all okay but at the same time, I have to face the reality that the world will, in fact, continue on without me.”  
He smiles up at Jumin, perched on the windowsill and examining the town below.  
“Tell me, old friend, have I always been this self-centered?” asks V.  
“Yes,” says Jumin without missing a beat, but there is no bitterness in it, and V chuckles in response.  
His laughter, however brief, delights Jumin. For a slight moment, he feels like they’ve returned to their childhood. They’re in Jumin’s childhood bedroom, taking photographs with a Polaroid camera, talking about nothing of consequence, so unaware of the future awaiting them.  
Jumin turns to his friend, seeking confirmation that V feels it too, but his hopes are dashed as he reads the determined expression on the teal-haired man’s face.  
“I’d like to see Rika,” he says.  
Jumin swallows, trying not to let his disappointment show. It was foolish, he acknowledges, to pretend this wasn’t coming. Of course V would want to see her, the woman he gave up so much for. A few weeks of care from Jumin wouldn’t suddenly change that.  
V tilts his head, almost fawn-like, waiting for Jumin’s response.  
Jumin is suddenly aware of how close he is to V. The teal-haired man sits less than an arm’s length away, bare but for a thin gown.  
He could do it, thinks Jumin, could so easily lean in and embrace V like he’s wanted to for so long, consequences be damned. He could hold the man he’s loved for decades to his chest and hope his pounding heartbeat gets the point across. He could make his plea here and now.  
Instead, he offers what he hopes is a convincing smile, and says, “Of course.”  
“Thank you, my friend,” replies V.  
Jumin stands up, nodding curtly, and makes his way to the door. “I’ll let you know when to expect her,” he says before he slips out.  
As he makes his way back to his office, he wonders if V noticed just how much those words sounded like “goodbye.”

-  
-

Still in the midst of her recovery, even Jumin isn’t able to get the clearance for Rika to fly out to Korea. Instead, he instructs assistant Kang to set up a Skype call.  
Jumin doesn’t think V will invite him to participate, as he had for the rest of the meetings, but he prepares an excuse nonetheless. He doesn’t think he has it in him to watch their lovers’ reunion.  
When he visits V the next day, he brings with him a gold ring inlaid with a peridot; the engagement ring taken from Rika after the scene at Mint-Eye.  
“Thank you,” says V, taking the small, velvet box and looking down at the ring. “But I don’t think I’ll be needing it. I suppose I should tell you: Rika and I have decided to part ways.”  
“What?” Jumin says.  
“We decided it was for the best,” V replies with a wistful smile. “We thought we needed each other, but Rika only needed me to recognize her existence. And I...I think I just needed to be needed by someone. You and the RFA, you don’t need me. But you want me around anyway. And that’s what love should be, I think.”  
Jumin sits next to his friend on the hospital bed. “You’ve matured, V.”  
He chuckles lightly. “Ah! Speaking of matured.” He reaches underneath his pillow and pulls out a green bottle. “Not much of a selection in the hospital gift shop, but this should be drinkable. I’m to be discharged tomorrow. You’ll celebrate with me, won’t you?”  
Jumin nods. V cracks open the bottle and pours the red blend into two paper cups.  
“What will you do now?” asks Jumin, taking a sip and finding it slightly less awful than predicted.  
V ponders the question for a moment before answering. “I think I’d like to try a few things. Painting, perhaps, and the violin. And I want to help MC with the RFA.”  
“You’ve got a lot to look forward to,” says Jumin.  
“I do,” V agrees. “And a lot of growing to do. I hope, old friend, that you’ll remain by my side through it all.”  
“Of course,” says Jumin. “But be careful what you say while you are holding a ring. That sounded like a proposal.”  
He meant it as a joke, but V doesn’t laugh, doesn’t even smile. Instead, he sets his cup down on his bedside table and looks at Jumin like he’s seeing him for the first time; curious, contemplative.  
“Oh,” V says, a light pink flush blooming across his cheeks.  
“V?”  
“It’s nothing,” V says, glancing at the box in his palm. “I was just remembering something Rika said yesterday.”

-  
-

Many years after they finish the bottle of wine in hospital room 411, Jumin learns two things. The first is what Rika said.  
The second is the reason for V’s pause that day as Jumin joked about proposing, which was that he’d had a vision, — clairvoyantly, as it turns out — of the two of them smiling happily, standing at the forefront of a church in suits, Jumin wearing the peridot ring on a chain around his neck.

-  
-

_“The ring? Jumin has it in storage.”_  
_“Ah. That’s good.”_  
_“You should take it back. I gave it to you, after all.”_  
_“But it doesn’t mean what it did back then. I’d like you to keep it, V.”_  
_“What would I do with it?”_  
_“Give it to someone. Someone you love deeply and want to spend your life with.”_  
_“But Rika-”_  
_“Please. It’ll be my blessing for your happiness. The happiness we weren’t able to give each other.”_  
_“Rika...alright. I will.”_  
_“Thank you.”_  
_“...”_  
_“You know, it’s funny. I thought this would hurt more. But it doesn’t, does it? Saying goodbye.”_  
_“That’s because it isn’t goodbye. It’s a new beginning. For both of us.”_  
_“A new beginning, huh? That’s a nice way of thinking about it.”_


End file.
